Communication Problems in Organizations
“We have a communication problem.” How many times have you heard that as an 1 explanation for project failures, disgruntled employees, or a lack of teamwork in organizations? Aside from the dramatic cases, such as a nurse not telling a doctor that he is about to operate on the wrong leg or a co-pilot not telling the pilot that another plane is on the same landing approach, we rarely know what is meant by “communication problem.” Several colleagues. An analysis of their responses identified nine major categories,
1. Not All Employees Being Kept Informed : The assumption is that the usual 2 modes of communication will send important information to everyone who needs to know and that everyone will receive this information. For example, email that isn’t read by front-line workers.
2. Employees Not Receiving Consistent Messages from Management : Different 3 supervisors are sending different, sometimes conflicting, messages about priorities.
3. Employees Not Receiving Timely Messages : Information is not getting to 4 employees when and where they need it.
4. The Right Information is Not Being Sent to the Right People : Critical 5 information (e.g., market data) is not being shared among key stakeholders.
5. Expectations are Not Clear : Top leaders do not discuss expectations with mid- 6 level managers. Therefore, they do not have the same expectations not do they agree on how to reach strategic goals.
6. Plan for the Future is Not Known : Leaders do not discuss their vision for the 7 future of the organization with employees.
7. Functional Areas Not Collaborating: Departments/units do not share the 8 information that could help all departments/units achieve common goals.
8. Employees Not Open with Each Other: Employees do not share information 9
with each other. They do not trust each other.
9. Communication Hampered by Distance Between Units: Departments/units 10
that are in different locations do not communicate as much and as often as those in close proximity.
Even in this age of email, cell phones, text messaging, and Web conferencing, 11
critical communication among leaders, between management and employees, and between departments/units, still does not happen as much and as often as needed.